Burrata Salad with Griddled Nectarines

This simple delicious salad is a staple of my summer table. It’s basically a nectarine Caprese salad for when you get tired of tomatoes and mozzarella all summer long. Gently griddling nectarines produces a caramelized effect deliciously contrasts with cool milky burrata.

Nectarines vs. Peaches

You can also try this burrata salad with peaches but I find nectarines hold their shape better on the griddle. Nectarines are basically a type of peach with smooth fine skin and so are called after nectar - the food of the gods. Warning - if you make this in late summer close the windows as wasps go crazy for the smell of both griddled stone fruit.

Burrata vs. mozzarella

Burrata cheese is essentially a variation of mozzarella di buffala - the famous Italian soft fresh cow’s milk cheese. But burrata also contains cream so that the outside resembles mozzarella cheese but with an unctuous inside that oozes out when it is pierced. Traditionally associated with the region of Puglia in Southern Italy, burrata has taken the world by storm in the last decade and appears on menus and shop shelves from New York to Shanghai. Burrata really does not last long, eat it as soon as possible, or else you will see it deflate and dry up, which is a shameful waste of such deliciousness.

Burrata Salad with Griddled Nectarines

Ingredients

Serves 4 as a starter

• 1 fresh burrata

• 3 nectarines, quartered

• A handful of strawberries halved

• 30ml of extra virgin olive oil

• A teaspoon of high-quality balsamic vinegar

• Rocket (arugula) and basil leaves to garnish

• Salt and Pepper

Method

• Toss the strawberries in balsamic vinegar. Quarter the nectarines and grill on a hot griddle for about 2 minutes on each side.

• Transfer to a platter with the burrata and strawberries, garnished with rocket leaves. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.